Motorbike rental in Phuket Town (Old Town)

Phuket Town is the island's working city rather than a resort: the Sino-Portuguese Old Town around Thalang, Dibuk, Krabi and Yaowarat roads, the markets on Ranong Road, Khao Rang hill above the rooftops and the shopping centres on the bypass. It is also the one part of Phuket where traffic is genuinely urban — a grid of narrow one-way streets, tuk-tuks and delivery vans double-parked outside shophouses, and almost nowhere to leave a car. A motorbike in Phuket Town solves exactly that: it fits into the scooter bays the Old Town actually has, and it gets you to the beaches in half an hour.

We have no walk-in office in Phuket Town. The nearest branch is Karon — Patak Road 306/3, daily 08:00-20:00, WhatsApp +66 622 843 198 — about 18-19 km and 25-30 minutes over the hills. Most customers in town have the bike delivered instead: send your address, the model, the dates and a passport photo on WhatsApp. The contract takes about 10 minutes: passport (we make the copy, the original stays with you) - no driving licence is required to rent from us. Deposit in cash: 3 000฿ up to 160cc, 7 000฿ for the 350cc models.

Rental prices

From 7 days the daily rate drops to 200 ฿ for a Scoopy and 230 ฿ for a Click 125, and a month is a fixed price — which is why long-stay residents in town usually take the monthly tariff. See the prices page and monthly rental.

Which bike to choose for Phuket Town

In town, small beats powerful. The Old Town lanes are narrow, you will be turning often because of the one-way system, and the gap you can park in is scooter-sized. Engine size only starts to matter when you leave the city for the beaches.

• Honda Scoopy 110 or Click 125 — the practical choice for the Old Town: light, easy to squeeze into a scooter bay on Thalang or Dibuk Road, and cheapest by the month.
• Honda Click 160 ABS — for daily trips over the hills to Karon, Kata or Patong, and for riding two-up on Thepkasattri Road. ABS helps on the flooded corners of the rainy season.
• Honda PCX 160 ABS — if you commute out of town every day: bigger seat, better wind protection, storage for a laptop bag or groceries.
• Honda Forza 350 — for real highway use, airport runs and long days out on the island.

All bikes are new Hondas and come with two helmets and medical insurance covering hospital treatment up to 50 000฿ in case of an accident.

Where to park a bike in Phuket Town

Parking is the reason locals ride scooters here, but the Old Town has its own rules and they are enforced:

• The odd/even rule on Thalang Road. On the one-way westbound section between Thepkasattri and Yaowarat roads you park on the south side on odd dates and on the north side on even dates, from 07:00 to 19:00. Look at which side everyone else is on before you stop.
• Free kerb space still exists on Thalang, Dibuk and the Soi Romanee blocks, plus marked scooter-only bays around the quarter — though these fill up in the evening.
• Signposted paid lots in the Old Town charge around 20฿ an hour; cheap insurance for a busy evening.
• On Sundays Thalang Road becomes the Lard Yai walking street from about 16:00 to 22:00. Nothing can be parked on it — leave the bike a couple of blocks away on Dibuk or Phang Nga Road and walk in.
• Do not block the arcades in front of the shophouses or the narrow crossings: this is where police and shop owners clear bikes first. Khao Rang hill, Central Phuket and Limelight Avenue all have their own free parking.

Where to ride from Phuket Town

• Khao Rang hill — 3 km and 10 minutes from the Old Town, free parking at the top, open view over the city to the Big Buddha, and the golden Buddha of Wat Khao Rang on the way down.
• South to Chalong and the Big Buddha — Chalong is 8-9 km and about 15 minutes, Wat Chalong is on the way, and the Big Buddha road climbs off the main highway: roughly 15 km and 30 minutes in total.
• Cape Panwa — 11 km and 20 minutes to the aquarium and the quiet bays of the southeast tip.
• West over the hills to the beaches — Karon and Kata are 16-19 km and 25-30 minutes (see rental in Karon), Patong about 15 km via Kathu, and Rawai with Promthep Cape around 20 km and 35 minutes.

Police checks, licence and helmets

Phuket Town has more traffic police than any beach area, and checkpoints on Thepkasattri Road are routine. We ask for no driving licence when you rent — passport and cash deposit only. Thai law, however, requires a category A or A1 licence (Thai or international) to ride, and in town that is the document checkpoints want to see: the fine for riding without it is 1 000฿, and riding without a helmet costs up to 2 000฿. Helmets are mandatory for rider and passenger — two come with every bike — and riding unlicensed remains the rider's own responsibility. One local rule matters as much as the fines: respect the one-way arrows in the Old Town. Riding against the flow in a narrow lane full of pedestrians is both a ticket and the most common way tourists crash here. Full conditions are on the rental rules page.

Bike delivery to Phuket Town

Delivery to Phuket Town runs from our Karon office, 18-19 km across the island. On rentals of 5 days or more delivery to your hotel or apartment is free; on shorter rentals it is paid and the price depends on the address, so the manager confirms it before you book. We collect the bike in town at the end too, so you do not have to ride to Karon on your last day. Send the address and dates on WhatsApp, or start from the main page of our Phuket rental service.

Bike rental in other Phuket areas:
Karon · Kata · Patong · Rawai · Surin · Cherng Talay